Chief Justice John Roberts honored Souter in a statement. “Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed,” he said.

Souter voted with the moderate wing of the court and often aligned with Democratic-appointed Supreme Court justices during his tenure, from 1990 to 2009. He voted to affirm Roe v. Wade in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey case.

Souter’s 2009 retirement also made way for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is part of the court’s Democratic-appointed wing and was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama.

The announcement of his death detailed that Souter “participated in civics education curriculum reform efforts in New Hampshire during his retirement.”

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The former justice spent most of his legal career in his home state of New Hampshire. Souter served as attorney general of the state from 1976 to 1978 before becoming a Supreme Court justice for the state’s high court from 1978 to 1990. He then became a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in 1990, shortly before his confirmation as a Supreme Court justice.

The Senate voted him in with a 90-9 vote, with only Democrats voting in opposition. A Democrat and adviser to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Walter Dellinger, called him “the most intellectually impressive nominee I’ve ever seen.”